User Reviews

This beer is a hazy red hurricane of hops. The lacing is as sexy as French lingerie. However, the aroma carries a malty sweetness that follows through with the flavor too strongly. The sweetness overtakes the bitterness a little too much, especially for a beer with 66 IBUs, and masks the rather high 9.0% ABV, but this Imperial Red IPA is certainly worth a try for all the hopheads out there.

This imperial is without a doubt top quality. The idea of a red ale and an IPA combined for one big beer is brilliant. The 9% abv is a surprise if you did not see it on the label. The nice sweet caramel malt flavors balanced with some great hops and just a touch of roasty make this a great brew. Its a nice well made balanced beer and even some of my friends who hate IPAs love this beer.

I saw this new brewery come to a local brew shop so I had to give it a try. Plus, an imperial red ale sounded delicious...

A: A nice clean deep red color with a 3/4 in off white head that fades quickly to a small lace atop the brew. Good.

S: Smells of some nice spicy hop upfront with some sweet malt quickly followed. Some caramel sugars on the back. Good.

T: Very well balanced brew. It has a quick sharp hop that is immediately beaten into submission by a sweet malt wall with some caramel and mild almost cinnamon. A watery spiciness on the backend. Good.

M: Medium body with a fabulous carbonation. A spicy finish. Good.

O: All in all, this is a decent beer. Not amazing, but good. I think it is mis-clasified on here as a DIPA. This is just a standard Imperial IPA. There's nothing double about it. The hop profile is a lot more tame for a DIPA. This is for the IPA lover who likes a more balanced, tame hop profile, type IPA. If that's you, you'll love this beer. If you're looking for a hop annihilation, then this will disappoint you.

Poured a 2" beige head. Looks more of a burnt sienna brown color than a red. Smell is complex with malt, caramel, hops. Taste is more of the same, almost even quad-like, with a long finish. The higher alcohol is very apparent, definitely imperial, but I wouldn't call it distracting. This probably is Blue Hill's best beer currently. It's probably not a good example of an Imperial IPA but it's a flavor powerhouse nonetheless.

The taste was of very sweet malts. Hops come in 2nd and add bitterness, and little apple/orange hop flavor. But just a little. Mouthfeel is a bit syurpy and oily.

This smelled and tasted exciting at first. But its enjoyment quickly went down hill, and I wasn't able to finish the last couple gulps. As it warmed to room temperature it drank almost like a barleywine, and it ended up tasting a little out of whack. The sweet flavor became cumbersome after a while which prevented me from finishing it. This brew would benefit greatly if the malt sweetness was kicked back one notch, and the hops went up a notch.

Imperial Red IPA doesn't necessarily bear the nose of an IPA, but it is a good nose nonetheless, being heavy with brown sugar malts, caramel, lychee nut, apricot, and fig, all over a bed of toasted grains. There is little in the nose to suggest a large IBU rating, as the aromas are almost devoid of pine or grapefruit.

On the tongue, however, the hops come out in good force, existing as both a grapefruit-bitter sting as well as a sugary rosewater caress. IBUs are not high enough to ward off those unfamiliar with an Imperial IPA (and in fact I wouldn't have known this was an Imperial had the label not said so), but they are present in good enough quantities to tickle the senses, and delight hop enthusiasts. The brew's malts are equally nuanced and tasty, with brown sugars, wheat, apricot and fig balancing the hops. The aftertaste is mostly hops, with a stronger emphasis on the bitter grapefruits than the sugary rosewaters. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is an excellent IPA, and in many ways resembles a tamer and more accessible version of Dogfish Head's 120-Minute IPA. Hop lovers will still find plenty in Imperial Red IPA to rejoice over, and newcomers to the style will find this flavorful and less overpowering than many of its peers. Superior fare.

not much on the nose. after several deep inhales, start to pick up a very mild dull melon.

barely noticeable if any malts at the front. not much complexity, dull. bitter at the end. nothing special from the beginning to end.

mouthfeel is medium to almost thick. creamy. carbonation is big and loopy, coating the mouth, but at the same time this is not characterized
as chewy.

i can drink this as a session beer, only because there is not much to it, and it does go down fairly easy. it is 9%, but i don't notice it. aftertaste lingers, bitter, but not something i would want to sit there for a while.

at $10.99 for a bomber, this is extremely overpriced. i was contemplating on spending $14.99 for some long time wants but
because i randomly met the president of sales at the store and he hyped it up, i went in for the kill. really wish i didn't. i could have spent three dollars less and gotten a variety of better
quality locals, or shelled out the few extra bucks and picked up some stuff on my wish list.

Aroma is malty orange marmalade. Bready. There's a definite artificial orange cleanser scent to this - like orange scented Pinesol or the orange scented Clorox wipes at work with which I use to sanitize my lil' cubicle. If you're gonna call it an IPA "balanced" or "malty" can't describe the aroma.

Orange citrus and bread crust make the first impression before the whole experience melts into a sloppy, overly sweet mess. Timid grapefruit bitter. Unnecessarily boozey.

This is like a novice homebrew. In fact, I recently brewed a red IPA that was a little bit better than this...and I'm a terrible brewer. I want to like this brewery so much because I've done a lot of my long training runs in the Blue Hills. After 3 mediocre to blah brews by Blue Hills I think I'm done with them.

Poured into my chalice with a small amount of head that mainly left a ring around the glass. A deep reddish orange with a thin haze. The nose contains a lot of sweet, somewhat dark malt and a sugary candy aroma. No hops and a lot of caramel. A smooth body with a big malt character. Darker fruits like plums and red grapes but also some chocolate malt. The hops show up in the finish doing more to dry off your palette from the intense sweetness leaving a light grassy taste. The bitterness makes you want more giving how sweet the body is. I had to watch myself though with the 9% and a growler's worth.

Taste is solid. It's not the cleanest red IPA I've had- the malt seems a bit too spicy for the mild, fruity hops. While the combined flavor misses the mark slightly, the components are nice. The alcohol hides nicely, and adds just a touch of punch. Finish is sticky and sweet, with a dry aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is dense, again, almost too dense for the mild hops that try hard to poke through.

Decent offering overall. With a bit more punch to the hop profile, this could be a winner.

Well it's certainly red, a very nice color. Slight chill haze and light cloudiness made it somewhat opaque. The creamy head was almost two fingers, and very slowly faded to a nice white film. Lacing was thick and in sheets.

The hoppy smell was really good. Quite floral, with malty notes and just a touch of pine.

A: Pours ruby red color, somewhat hazy. Upon pouring there was an amazing swirling action going on that resulted in a very thick two finger head. It slowly dissipated to about a 1/2 finger head that lasted for much longer. Sheets of lacing down the sides of the glass.

S: A good bit of caramel and some bready sweetness. Slight citrus aroma and a little bit of alcohol.

T: Much maltier than I hoped or expected. Not much hops at all, a little bit of a citrus flavor, but reminds more of malty red/amber ale. There is caramel and a flavor I recognize, but can't really place right now.

M/D: Medium bodied with nice carbonation. Leaves me with a slightly dry mouth. Not sure whats really going on here. As an imperial IPA I expected a lot more hop flavor than this had, I get more hops in single IPAs than this beer. As for its "red" description, I would say it hits that quite well. It if were hoppier, I think I would be happier.

I am all for every beer having it's own signature. And I appreciate them all. However, this one came up a little short for me. Loved the crisp aroma and the taste was good too. The hop/malt balance worked very well. However, the body was a little dead for such a sweet beer. I have seen other reviews that said the body was decently carbonated, but I don't agree.

The lacing retains very well, lots of stickage on the glass. Brassy reddish color, good clarity. Citric minty hop with toasted grain and a peppery alcohol make for a lively nose. Big creamy smooth body. Hints of caramel, cake batter, toasted bread, dried grass and portuguese sweet bread show of a well rounded malt profile. Hops hammer away at the malt and only in the end finally breaks it. Citric rind, wild herbs, spice and earth from the hop flavor melds well with the warming alcoholic dark ripe fruitiness. Bitter semi-sweet spicy finish.

Picked up a bomber today because I'd been reading more and more good things about Blue Hills and I enjoy this style. The Hop Man on the front of this 22 oz. bomber is somewhat misleading, as this is a malt bomb in heart.

Appearance: Thick, slightly tan head, about one finger, floated on top of a murky/stiff looking brown liquid. It has a very deep, almost brown leather color. Little bits of something floating in this. Not sure if this is a bad bottle or not, but I decided to review in spite of the floaters.

Aroma: Almost like a caramel, sour-apple. Bready sweetness and caramel get enhance by the booze on the nose. Hops are there, but are very tart and almost sour when balanced against the malt bill this hot and sweet.

Taste: This is a malt bomb right away. Very thick, caramel bun sweetness sweeps across the tongue in a powerful way. It is cloying and quickly fades into a deep bitterness from the hops. Nothing especially powerful to me in the hops flavor-wise except for deep almost dark bitterness that increases in the hot aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Overwhelmed. This beer is thick for its body, creating a lacquer-like affect. The palette goes from sweet to tart to bitter to hot on every drink.

Drinkability: This is not a highly drinkable beer. This is a big ABV and has a cloying, robust body that gives your mouth a wild ride.

Overall: Even if you enjoy this beer's robust flavors, it is pretty thick for the style. With a different hop profile, this would almost work better as an Imperial Brown Ale. Unless there were few other options, I think I'd steer clear of this one.

s- the nose of this beer is great. Hops, sweet malt, and a slight booziness. pungent and delicious smelling.

t- Really similar hop regiment to the Blue Hills IPA. Taste the same in terms of hops. I like this beer much more though. The sweet malts and hight ABV mix well together. Bitterness suits ABV and is balances nicely at the end of the sip.

m+d- All the flavors are really distinct. Hops, Booze, Malt, and Yeast are all separately noticeable. They go well together, but don't mend like I would expect. I accidentally aged this beer and I am really glad I did. Kind on the verge of being unbalanced, but really good. One of the better beer I have had from this crew.

Hazed burnt orange colour, kind of a deep amber with a coppery hue, a bit murky. A gentle pour produced a fluffy beige cap about a half inch in height in my tulip. Soapy bubbles clung to the glass and there was some clumpy lacing. Good head retention too. Citrus hop aroma, sharp grapefruit right after the pour, strawberry sweetness, caramel and bready malts, doughy. Juicy hop flavour, leafy, resinous. Bitterness felt aggressive and became coarse in the finish, earthy and rough, almost oily. Nice malt sweetness up front, caramel and biscuit, but this disappeared much too quickly and left the unbalanced bitterness behind. Mild alcohol presence as well. The texture was nice at the beginning of each sip - creamy carbonation and just short of full bodied - but once the malt flavour receded so did the body and texture. My palate was left with a dry astringency that seemed to increase the coarse hop character that lingered too long for my liking. Overall, I was very hopeful when I smelled the beer, but the flavour and texture didn't hold up. It felt like a combination of too little residual malt sweetness with a bittering hop variety that was too rough on the palate and used very liberally.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1 1/4" beige head over the cloudy dark amber brew. Head recedes very deliberately, with pleasing sticky lace. Aroma is low-intensity, but reasonably balanced between sweet malts and citrus hops.

Taste starts slow with some light to moderate sweetness, citrus hops in the middle, which become bitter towards the close. Alcohol not really evident. Mouthfeel is okay, with drinkability about the same. Potential here, but the end for me it didn't really come together.

Pretty darn good. If you're expecting a double IPA, this isnt it. Very little hop aroma, could be a little more bitter. That being said, it's called an Imperial Red IPA for a reason.

I'm not a fan of these irish red beers, but this, this I could get used to. Poured with a half inch of head into a tall pilsner glass, about 1/8inch lasted the whole drink, leaving lots of lace... in a pint glass might not produce the same effect.

It's very drinkable, strong, leaves a very good feeling afterwards. Very drinkable.

If you find, give it a shot, better than the average IPA or red beer, granted it cost a whole lot more, but occasionally, its better to have one of these, than four of those.